This invention relates to a delivery system for delivering a milkfat component to dough and in particular delivering a milkfat component to dough through the use of an emulsion deliverable in liquid form
Emulsions are mixtures of two immiscible substances. One substance, known as the dispersed phase, is dispersed in the form of droplets into the second substance referred to as the continuous phase. Two of the most common emulsions are either an oil in water emulsion or a water in oil emulsion. In an oil in water emulsion (o/w), water is the continuous phase and oil is the dispersed phase, thus droplets of oil are dispersed in an aqueous solution. Conversely, in a water in oil (w/o) emulsion, oil is the continuous phase and water is the dispersed phase. These emulsions with two phases are referred to as primary emulsions. Examples of emulsions include butter, margarine, milk and cream. In butter and margarine, fat surrounds droplets of water (a water-in-oil emulsion). In milk and cream, water surrounds droplets of fat (an oil-in-water emulsion).
The two components of an emulsion are (typically) chemically unreactive and therefore, emulsions have low thermodynamic stability. Emulsifiers are often added to emulsions to stabilize them. Both hydrophilic and lipophillic emulsifiers are known in the art and can be used based on the type of emulsion formed.
Multiple emulsions are also known in the art and are more complex than primary emulsions. In multiple emulsions, a primary emulsion is formed first and subsequently dispersed into another continuous phase. In other words, droplets of the primary emulsion are dispersed in a continuous phase that is different than the continuous phase of the primary emulsion. For example, in an oil in water in oil multiple emulsion, an o/w primary emulsion is dispersed in an oil continuous phase. In multiple emulsions, the internal and external phases are similar (but not necessarily identical) and an intermediate phase separates the two like phases. The intermediate phase is immiscible with the two similar phases. Multiple emulsions are generally formed in a two step process.
There are multitudes of crackers in the marketplace today with a variety of bases and flavors. All of these generally contain a starch, such as flour, and a fat source. The amount and type of fat, the type of flour and the additional ingredients added to a cracker dough distinguishes the many types and flavors of crackers from each other. The cracker dough is generally made by blending melted fats, flavor components and flour into a mixture to achieve maximum materials handling benefits and product quality.